If the Wyld Stallyns were a three piece and managed by Wayne and Garth I have reason to believe they would be something similar to the Mean Jeans. Retarded children of the 90’s raised on Pabst, slime and frozen pizzas they are like brain damaged Andrew WK’s looking for a party.
I am going to be honest- I was not a big fan of these guys until I heard this album. I’d bought their debut album, “R U Serious”, and I’d picked up a few singles, and even seen them live a few times, but aside from a few enjoyable pop punk moments and hooks I thought they teetered towards brain dead third rate 90’s pop punk (*cough!* Automatics *cough!*). And while I acknowledged they were still a thousand times better than any of the current crop of Copyrights/ Dopamines/ Steinways type bands, and far more enjoyable than the decrepit washed up geriatrics still clinging on to their legacy and royalties by releassing dribble and reissue after reissue, I’d always felt that the Mean Jeans wore out their welcome on my hi-fi after about ten minutes. As I prepared to great this album with a sea of indifference I found myself more than a bit surprised buy how much I enjoyed their video for “Anybody Out There”. How could I remain unenchanted after that?
After sitting with an advanced copy for a few weeks I was even more surprised by how much the band had progressed. they had reeled in the tempo to a comfortable pace. The hooks got bigger and the song structure became more complex and evolved. Even the lyrics were… “less dumb”(at the very least they have toned down the the dumbness [no use of the word “yay-yo” to report]). They some how managed to go from being a silly warped speed joke to becoming a real band with a bit of depth. Not much depth, they are still more Dickies than Fugazi but there is obvious growth. These dudes got dark. There is a general hopeless and discouraged theme through out the album. It is easy to over intellectualize and analyze the lyrics and come to the conclusion the band’s “don’t stop partying” mantra is overcompensation to fill a void of lonliness and depression. And honestly, who can’t relate to that?
Looking at the lyric sheet is like looking at the notebook of a damaged teenager full of angst, low self esteem and escapist fantasies. Between calls to “rip it up” (“Ready 2 Rip”) and invitations to float down the river with pals (“Come Toobin'”) are some pretty low feelings of alienation and frustration. The best punk rock has always come from kids who never quite fit in and this record really does prove the Mean Jeans are one of the only punk bands that matter these days. Behind the shtick is a universal relatability. A harkening back to feeling like a complete and utter fuck up and between bouts of self loathing and self destructive recreation are some good times and dark moments. Of course once the needle drops all you hear are “whoa-oh’s” and good times but therein lies the brilliance. Hide the deep stuff behind some killer noodley guitar solos and a few power chords, chase it with a few Jager-Bombs and it’s a party. And everyone has fun at a party, right?
Band: Mean Jeans
Album: On Mars
Label: Dirtnap, ZZZ-110
Year: 2012